Mirror Mirror
by The Voice of ther Wind
Summary: Bilbo received a letter from Dis, Princess Under the Mountain a year after his adventure with the Company of Thorin Oakenshield. As such he travels to the Lonely Mountain and what he experiences as a result shall result in consequences not only for Bilbo but the rest of the Company as well. One way or the other some lives will never be the same afterwards.


Bilbo considered himself a perfectly respectable hobbit. In accordance with his own customs and culture he was considered a rather respectable member of the Shire, and as a Baggins, he considered himself adequately suited to the slow paced lifestyle within Hobbington as a whole. However, this had been before his infamous adventure with a meddling Wizard, and thirteen energetic Dwarves. Since then, Bilbo had since returned and had managed to recover all of his ''stolen'' property since his untimely ''death.'' In contrast with dealing with Smaug, it was easier to liberate his silverware from Lobelia and his other thieving relatives, and Bilbo merrily carried his prized silverware back to Bag End, as he contently whistled a merry tune that Bofur had taught him on their adventure. It had been a few weeks since the entire ordeal and as such Bilbo's reputation has significantly changed from respectable to questionable at best. Since his time spent with the Company, and the many weeks he spent under the harsh gaze of Thorin Oakinsheild, Bilbo gave little regard to the comments and stares that were often cast his way. These events soon became all too familiar for Bilbo, and it was more often than not that he had begun to find his own kind a bit unusual. He had discovered that he didn't enjoy the slow pace life of the Shire, nor did he enjoy the company of Hobbits, who had nothing better to do then to contribute to the gossiping of their fellow hobbit. His own coming and daily goings had often been the source of inspiration that contributed to the overall dramatic rumours of the Took family. And as such, his Took cousins had made an effort to ramble Bilbo into all sorts of daily mischief that would make any respectable Baggins shy and splutter in impropriety.

Before Bilbo had realised it, a few months had passed since his return to the Shire, and so he was very surprised to discover a Raven waiting upon his front gate with a letter addressed to him. He offered the Raven, who introduced himself through a series of squawks and cawing, as Rheon. Bilbo offered his thanks by allowing Rheon to join him for dinner, and as such the dark Raven cawed his gratitude as he flew through the front door and contently perched upon one of the chairs in Bilbo's kitchen. Once Bilbo had settled Rheon with some warm slices of bread and meat, Bilbo settled down in his armchair as he began to read his letter. He scanned the unfamiliar hand writing that inscribed his name across the front of the envelope in impressive cursive strokes. Bilbo hesitantly opened the letter, and placed the envelope on the mantle beside his chair, before he turned his attention to the letter before him. His dark forest eyes scanned each word, as he took in each sentence in turn.

 _Dear Master Baggins_

 _I, Dis, Daughter of Thrain II, Princess Under the Mountain, hereby request your immediate presence to Erebor. I believe that during your time spent with the Company while on the Quest, there were certain circumstances and events that have been unveiled and as such need to be remedied at post haste. I dare not speak of the matter in which I wish to discuss with you, for I fear that this letter fall into the wrong hands. Please make sure to destroy this letter on completion of reading it, and please respond as soon as you are able. I have entrusted Rheon to safely deliver your answering letter, as he is a good and loyal Raven in service to the Line of Durin. I do not write to you to cause you distress Master Baggins, however it is imperative that you make haste for Erebor as soon as you are able._

 _Once I receive your letter I shall arrange for an escort to bring you to Erebor. I look forward to making your acquaintance Master Baggins. Should you accept to return to Erebor, You will be welcomed with the dignity and respect of a Dwarf Friend, and as such shall receive the Protection of the Line of Durin. Take care Master Baggins and take heed in the coming days ahead._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Dis, Daughter of Thrain II, Princess Under the Mountain._

 _P.S. Hello Master Boggins, its Fili and Kili here, though I bet you already knew that. We, and the Company look forward to your return to Erebor, and as such, we have a surprise in store for you. We just wanted to say hello, and that we read moms letter without her knowing, so please do not mention us in your reply. - Fili and Kili, Princes under the Mountain._

Bilbo lay back as he glanced over the letter once more, and re-read it before his wiped his brow with his hand and sighed, as he felt slightly overwhelmed. He recalled how both Fili and Kili had mentioned their mother, Dis, only a few times throughout their Quest, and Bilbo had never seen any reason to pry further then he was welcomed to. He learnt from his time in the Company, that Dwarfs are fiercely protective and secretive of their customs and culture. Very few Non-Dwarfs were granted the privilege of learning anything of their sacred culture. Bilbo had always been curious to learn Khuzdul, and since the Troll incident Balin begun to gradually introduce Bilbo to the language. Nori caught wind of this, and had secretly approached Bilbo and had introduced him to the encrypted language of Khuzduarel that had been developed specifically for the Spy masters of the Blue Mountains. Bilbo smiled warmly as he reminisced about passed events, and returned his attention back to the letter currently in his grasp. Bilbo sighed as he felt his heart flutter in betrayal as it grew enlightened at the prospects of returning to the Lonely Mountain. Nevertheless, as a Took and a Baggins, Bilbo decided to answer the letter, and provide them with the befitting response. He checked in on Rheon, who had managed to perch contently upon one of Bilbo's shelves in the kitchen, and had settled down to sleep with his head resting among the ebony feathers on his back. Bilbo smiled and proceeded to his study, and finished his response letter before he sealed it safely in an envelope and left it on his desk. The emotion of having to carefully answer the letter left Bilbo weary, and so, he happy settled down for the night in his comfortable bed, where his dreams were filled the haunting singing of Dwarfs and the feeling of anticipation of yet another adventure on the horizon.


End file.
